CD Review: Surfer Blood

Artist: Surfer Blood

Album: Astro Coast

Record Label: Kanine

Rating: 4

West Palm Beach quintet, Surfer Blood, released their debut LP Astro Coast earlier this week. Their first single, “Swim (To Reach the End),” (somewhat of an intersection of Animal Collective and Weezer’s Blue Album) was released through Pitchfork Media late last year and has since experienced an eruption of viral buzz.

Astro Coast consists of glowing melodies, hazy guitar riffs, colorful harmonies, catchy choruses and (recently popularized) vocal reverb. The tracks are festooned with afro-pop, grunge, punk, power-pop and lo-fi elements along with some surf-rock twang. Surfer Blood reshapes and intertwines several musical influences and genres to create the gratifying postmodern compilation Astro Coast.

Give these tracks a listen: “Swim”, “Take it Easy”

For fans of: Grizzly Bear, Fleet Foxes, Deerhunter

– Simone Wahng